Winner:

My hobby

A hobby is something that we do during our free time. My hobby is collecting stamps.

Collecting postage stamps is called Philately. It is a very popular hobby among schoolchildren. We can gain knowledge on flowers, animals, coins, countries and cities in the world. You can find many coloured and different size stamps in the world. It is a useful hobby for children. It is not only a hobby in Sri Lanka but also in other countries as well.

Getting a good knowledge is not only the benefit that we can gain from collecting stamps but it is also an enjoyable way of spending our leisure time.

D.A. Koshila Hansini Dambadeniarachchi,
Grade 85,
Veyangoda Bandaranayake Central College.

Winner:

My sister

My sister’s name is Nashitha Sakeena. She is six years old. Her favourite colour is pink. She loves to wear frocks.

I play with her. She studies at Holy Family Convent. She is in grade one. My sister has curly hair. She can play the piano well.

She sleeps with my grandfather. My sister likes to watch cartoons. She is very cute.

I love her very much.

Suha Sarah Marikkar,
Grade 2E,
Royal International School,
Kurunegala.

Winner:

Protect the environment

The environment is an important part of human life which is very useful. Animals, trees, air and water are important components of the environment.

Some people do not understand the value of the environment and destroy it in many ways. They do not think about the uses of the environment. They cut down trees, kill animals, pollute the air and water.

Some people protect the environment. We too can protect the environment in many ways. We can start this in our school. Nature lovers organise various types of programs. We also can join them to protect the environment.

W.S. Lihini Chamiduni,
Grade 11C,
G/Nagoda Royal College.

Winner:

An ode to my mother

You gave birth to me,
Protected me from danger,
Cared for me,
You showed kindness to me,
Taught me good manners,
Shared my sorrows and happiness,
Mother I respect you.
You raised my spirit,
Helped me to be successful,
Advised me how to live,
You changed my path of living.
Encouraged me to win the world
Taught me to respect the elders,
Mother I respect you.
You sacrificed everything for me,
To make me a useful citizen,
I always love you mother,
Mother I respect you.

Fathima Zainab Rizvie,
Grade 10A,
Royal English School,
Matale.

Winner:

The best novel I have read

The best novel I have read is Anita Desai’s The Village by the Sea. The story is based on poverty, hardships and sorrow faced by a small rural community in India. The book won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize in 1982.

The main characters of the novel are Hari and Lila. They are school dropouts. Kamal and Bela are the two sisters of Hari and Lila.

Their parents are not strong enough to fulfil the duties and the responsibilities towards their children. As a result, all the paternal duties are done by Hari, while maternal duties are shouldered by Lila.

The two children are deprived of their freedom. Hari ekes out a living by cultivating, selling coconuts and fishing. His mother is bedridden and father is a drunkard. Hari “the man of the house” tries to be more practical unlike his friends who have lesser responsibilities.

Although Hari’s father is a drunkard, he is not to be blamed for his action. All these happened after mother fell ill. Earlier, they spent a prosperous life.

Hari and Lila had to take care of everybody. Hari hates his father, but Lila pities him. They struggle a lot in life.

Though Hari and Lila faced many obstacles and hardships they succeeded in life at the end. Ultimately, mother got cured and father gave up drinking. This shows that children are more powerful than parents. They can show parents the right path.The novel shows how Hari and Lila sacrificed their adolescence to fulfil the duties and responsibilities towards their family.

Disara Abeywickrama,
Grade 9D,
Sri Sumanagala Girls’ School,
Panadura.

Pets need love and care

There are many animals that we keep as pets. The most common are cats and dogs. We keep them for pleasure.

It is interesting to watch them and see how they behave.

Pets need a lot of love and care. They are very loyal to us and when they get old, we must not neglect them.

Some people rear pets such as the tortoises, rabbits and parrots as pets. When we keep pets in cages, we are taking away their freedom.

S Priyatharshan,
Kingston College International,
Wellawatte.

My school

I attend Royal International School. It is in the Kurunegala district.

The Managing Directress of my school is Sandra Wanduragala.

There are more than 300 teachers and about 3000 Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim children in my school.

We all study happily. It is a mixed school. There are classes from grade 1 to 12.

I learn many subjects such as mathematics, computer, science and religion.There is a big library full of valuable books. There is a computer laboratory and a science laboratory.

We also have a big music and a dancing room.My school has a large playground. We play cricket and football. We also have a swimming pool.

There are facilities to play indoor games such as table tennis and chess.We keep our school neat and tidy. I love my school and I am proud of it.

Vojitha Heshan Herat,
Grade 4A,
Royal International School,
Kurunegala.

My father

My father is Crishan. He is very tall.
He is a banker. I love my father very much.

Shevan Fernando,
Grade 1,
S. Thomas’ College,
Mt. Lavinia.

My class teacher

The person I admire most is my class teacher. She is A.M.K. Nisa. She is very religious and kind.

She guided me to get through my grade 5 scholarship examination.My teacher treats me like my mother.

She wears a full Habaya Hijab and Nikab. On Teachers' Day this year, I wished her a healthy, long life and success for her future.

S.A. Shakeel Ahamed,
Grade 5 Orchid,
Babul Hassen MMV,
Warakapola.

An unforgettable character

It was a Saturday. I was travelling in a bus after my tuition class. On the way, I saw a girl who was wearing ragged clothes getting into the bus. She had a cassette recorder and an old, brown, leather bag. She looked tired and hungry. Her poverty stricken face and hungry eyes stuck in my mind. Standing in front of the bus, she switched on her cassette recorder, which contained only music and started to sing a song.

The song, which was about mother's love, filled tears in my eyes. I gave her Rs. 50, which my mother gave me for my expenses. Her innocent eyes shone with gratitude. At the next bus halt she got off and disappeared among the crowd. But her sorrowful eyes and melancholy voice still haunt my mind.

M.D. Nirmala Madhavi Ranasinghe,
Grade 12B,
Holy Cross College,
Gampaha.